Blood Trails

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Nothing to be embarrassed about. I had a very close friend that was very color blind as well. I will say it was a few months after I met him before I knew and riding in a car was NOT a fun experience at night. He used to carry toilet paper with him to dab any spots he thought was blood. if it transfered he could talle better.

[Geno C]

I love getting on my hands and knees looking for blood and checking like a blood hound... Dont always get to really do it but when i do i really get into it. ive tracked blood for 2-300 yards on my hands and knees to find spec after spec of blood to find that deer. i actually love doing it, i just dont usually get to do it for myself. i have shot a good amount of deer and only had one 1 deer run more then 100 yards on me. (not bragging! at all! its a true statement) Slight quarter too shot deer ran a loop, crossed the logging road 100 yards up and out of sight. didnt find much blood but luckily knew where it crossed and picked the trail up quick. that was my only track job for myself but i always help out my other guys in the group when the time calls. I love when a deer drops in sight and even those i always follow the blood trail even tho i know where the deer is. Helps me learn what to expect from a certain angle/shot placement /entry and exit height so i always follow every trail regardless to learn as much as i can.

hunted with my dads friend before and he wounds alot, follows a trail and when it gets spotty stops and says that deer will live. He yelled at me once and said what are you doing?! give it up that deer will live. i told him he gives up to easy and we should keep going. we left i came back later that night by myself, searched and came up short. it was dark... i told him that deer was dead in there and he should get back in there. He said no and about 5 days later they found the buck. he cut the head off and kept it. I told him what i thought and where to go and i do not hunt with him anymore.

[A Sportsman]

Culvercreek,

Your friend is right-on. I do the same thing exept with paper towel (dabbing what i suspect to be blood). For me, the blood stands out much much better against the white.

[Nomad]

.Since I switched to cut on contacts many years back my blood trailing days pretty much ended during bow season. Most went less then 30 yards,some went back to feeding,all but two dropped in sight (out of 15 or so).

Most that ran did a couple steps,stopped looked around made a final crashing run.

They just don't feel the hit like a pencil or chisle point,it seems to me .

[Guns&ReligionCop]

Geno C, you love being on your hands and knees? Stop reading Fifty Shades of grey in your tree stand!!!! Sorry to joke at your expense but I couldn't help myself

[Geno C]

Lol! I have to keep myself busy up there while I wait for deer to show up. What else am I going to read??

[crappyice]

That there is some funny stuff G&R...I do not subscribed to the idea that an deer that runs a good way is a result of shooter error. These are some tough critters and the variables are high when it comes to killing with arrows

[TreeGuy]

I honestly don't see how anyone could "love" or "enjoy" blood trails. I realize that bowhunters may need to take up blood trails more often than gun hunters, but in general having a long blood trail on your hands is most likely due to a less than perfect shot no matter what weapon you are using. I know it happens to everyone once in a while, but I just can't say that I will "love" or "enjoy" the experience. Just not the right way to look at it in my opinion. To me following a long blood trail becomes necessary because of a screw up on our or someones elses part. Not much to love or enjoy about that, at least the way I look at this.

So, your telling me that you have perfected a shot so good, gun or bow, that they ALWAYS drop immediately? Cause apparently i "screw up" alot, especially with the bow. Sounds like u havent done much hunting.... just sayin.

But really, how many deer have you killed, and what do u use as a weapon?

[Guns&ReligionCop]

Treeguy, He uses an RPG for small game and howitzer for anything large

[TreeGuy]

Treeguy, He uses an RPG for small game and howitzer for anything large

Oh, well now i feel silly i even said anything! Even still, never a "mistake" with the rpg?

[Guns&ReligionCop]

They say close only counts with horse shoes and hand grenades but In my experience I would change that statement it to encompass all explosions or frag

[Jennifer]

I carry orange flagging with me, helps tremendously.

You guys that see green eyes around you, how often does this happen? I have tracked several at night and never experienced that.

If there is no snow on, I like to use toilet paper. I tie a tiny bit to brush, twigs, etc.. when tracking, to help follow the trail. If I forget to go back and take it down or miss a piece, it just biodegrades back into the loam by spring, unlike the survey ribbon/flagging tape.

Also, as others have said, it is very helpful when tracking in maple trees, where the leaf litter can have a lot of red in it naturally! Dab if you need to inspect the blood.

In the snow, though, I use the flagging tape and make sure to go back and remove it afterward.

[shawnhu]

If there is no snow on, I like to use toilet paper. I tie a tiny bit to brush, twigs, etc.. when tracking, to help follow the trail. If I forget to go back and take it down or miss a piece, it just biodegrades back into the loam by spring, unlike the survey ribbon/flagging tape.

Also, as others have said, it is very helpful when tracking in maple trees, where the leaf litter can have a lot of red in it naturally! Dab if you need to inspect the blood.

In the snow, though, I use the flagging tape and make sure to go back and remove it afterward.

Toilet paper is also very handy to have on you as it is, so it has a dual purpose now.

[steve863]

So, your telling me that you have perfected a shot so good, gun or bow, that they ALWAYS drop immediately? Cause apparently i "screw up" alot, especially with the bow. Sounds like u havent done much hunting.... just sayin.

But really, how many deer have you killed, and what do u use as a weapon?

No, I don't always make a perfect shot, but this doesn't mean I should "love" or "enjoy" blood trails if I have to follow one. In my mind if I need to follow a blood trail a long way it means I most likely SCREWED something up in one way or another and I am not ashamed to admit it.

I hunt mainly with a rifle although I do bowhunt once in a while. I fully realize that a bowhunter may need to follow a blood trail more often than a gun hunter. I said that from the start. I do think that even for bowhunters, a good solid hit in the right place should not give you much of a blood trail to follow. So even for bowhunters a long blood trail means there was probably a screw up on the hunters part somewhere. For whatever it's worth I have killed over 50 deer and assorted other game and have been hunting since 1977, which is before many here were even born, so I am not new at this game by any stretch.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Culvercreek,

Your friend is right-on. I do the same thing exept with paper towel (dabbing what i suspect to be blood). For me, the blood stands out much much better against the white.

That is what he said exactly. I even use it now when on a tough tracking job or in red leaves. and you can see the white in the woods as a trail marker that you don't need to pick up.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

So, your telling me that you have perfected a shot so good, gun or bow, that they ALWAYS drop immediately? Cause apparently i "screw up" alot, especially with the bow. Sounds like u havent done much hunting.... just sayin.

But really, how many deer have you killed, and what do u use as a weapon?

You missed his point. $hit happens, everyone knows it BUT if you are on a long track job something went wrong. If it all went right there wouldn't be a long tracking job. Pretty simple concept. And as I said, I don't like traking. I can and do participate in it but in no way LOVE it. I actually think it sucks. I would much rather see it fall in site and enjoy the moment rather than stressing about if there will be an animal on the end of the trail or not.

Sounds to me like you are a little sensative about the topic. That in itself may speak volumes about your comment.

[Nomad]

BTW an arrow and bullet both cause a traumatic injury and an animal or human for that matter die when one thing happens oxygenated blood no longer reaches the brain. No matter if its Grandpa's heart attack where the pump stops sending it or steve puts an RPG through a deers heart and it stops pumping.

An arrow or bullet hits an artery and that oxygenated blood does not reach the brain along with a volume loss causing a drop in BP as well. All trauma.

A arrow or bullet through both lungs will cause massive bleeding which leads to a drop in BP and the blood not reaching the brain,along with the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen to cease mean no more oxygen entering the blood stream. See why a double lunger is the goal ? That deer is dead with in about 15 seconds, The problem is when he runs off like a horse out of the gate.

Now a bullet can destroy parts of the skelectory system,or cns causing the deer to "drop" and or parts of it to destroy lungs ect like sharpnel does, but it still takes blood loss to cause blood flow to brain to stop.

Happy tracking.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Larry302

[phade]

BTW an arrow and bullet both cause a traumatic injury and an animal or human for that matter die when one thing happens oxygenated blood no longer reaches the brain. No matter if its Grandpa's heart attack where the pump stops sending it or steve puts an RPG through a deers heart and it stops pumping.

An arrow or bullet hits an artery and that oxygenated blood does not reach the brain along with a volume loss causing a drop in BP as well. All trauma.

A arrow or bullet through both lungs will cause massive bleeding which leads to a drop in BP and the blood not reaching the brain,along with the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen to cease mean no more oxygen entering the blood stream. See why a double lunger is the goal ? That deer is dead with in about 15 seconds, The problem is when he runs off like a horse out of the gate.

Now a bullet can destroy parts of the skelectory system,or cns causing the deer to "drop" and or parts of it to destroy lungs ect like sharpnel does, but it still takes blood loss to cause blood flow to brain to stop.

Happy tracking.

While that is a fantastic explanation...DRT in bow and gun are two different things...get my drift?

DRT with a bow, and you didn't blow through the lungs/heart and probably need a second arrow. Haven't seen many DRT with a classic broadhead through double lung...has anyone?

Big difference between doing that...and sending a 2k FPS piece of death metal through the shoulders.

Blood trails are a part of bowhunting. No way to escape it. Embrace it...and become the best one can be with the shooting AND tracking.

Edited October 18, 2012 by phade

[Nomad]

Phade I not only get your "drift" i enjoy your posts a lot, which is why i did not "quote" you in my explanation. Just wanted to point out its all trauma and how animals die,which there seemed to be some confusion on .

Like I said earlier I had to :"track" 2 or 3 out of my last 15 or so bow kills.

I have no idea what DRT is, after googling it ,I think it may mean dead right there. If so yes most of my bow killed deer go less then 30 yards,some never took a step, 2 went back to feeding.That might not be the norm, but a brief run of a few steps then stopping has been once I stopped using pencil points and chisle points.The ones that run have been when I hit heavy bone and they feel the hit.

I gotta drift on over to the gym now.....

[phade]

Phade I not only get your "drift" i enjoy your posts a lot, which is why i did not "quote" you in my explanation. Just wanted to point out its all trauma and how animals die,which there seemed to be some confusion on .

Like I said earlier I had to :"track" 2 or 3 out of my last 15 or so bow kills.

I have no idea what DRT is, after googling it ,I think it may mean dead right there. If so yes most of my bow killed deer go less then 30 yards,some never took a step, 2 went back to feeding.That might not be the norm, but a brief run of a few steps then stopping has been once I stopped using pencil points and chisle points.The ones that run have been when I hit heavy bone and they feel the hit.

I gotta drift on over to the gym now.....

No worries. I'd say my average distance between shot and where they drop with a bow is 50 yards, which in cover, might as well be a mile sometimes. The ones that stretch out to 75-100 yards make me nervous real fast...makes me question what I saw at impact, what the shot sequence was, did I hit something on the way...etc. Most times, it's just a deer being a deer with an arrow ran through it...some of the ground they cover is amazing when they are a dead deer running.

But, that's an overall average. I've had two DRT in my time...both required another arrow.

I've had a few make it as short as 20-25 yards, but never had one let me put one through and it just stood there. I know it happens, but not for me yet. Interestingly, the ones where I get the heart seem to be the furthest track jobs on a "good shot"...not talking a poor hit.

[TreeGuy]

Phade- u hunt near brush, thats a "mistake"

[Guns&ReligionCop]

Never had one go less than 50 yards with a bow and my last 3 were double lung heart shots and were leaking blood like a faucet. They didn't go far but the adrenaline alone carried them almost a 80-100 yards and 4-5 seconds to expire.

[RobC]

I really enjoy tracking someone elses deer but the stress and anticipation of tracking my own can be a bit nerve racking at times. Especially when the trail gets cold.

[phade]

Phade- u hunt near brush, thats a "mistake"

I make a ton of mistakes, no doubt. Hunting near brush hasn't been one of them. I can always learn something new, however.

[coonhunter]

I'm with you Phade. I hunt a ton of thick stuff. The benefits are that you usually don't have a lot of company from other hunters, and if a deer shows up, it is usually close to or already in range. Just have to plan your shooting areas ahead of time, and have to pass up quite a few marginal shots. Tracking out an arrowed deer can be tough in the thick stuff because you usually can only get a general direction. Persistence has always paid off for me, and it sounds like for you also. And, I am pretty sure I know why you hunt that thick stuff too.